BROOKINGS – The state is reporting four new deaths and 57 new positive coronavirus cases Wednesday.
The number of South Dakotans who have tested positive for COVID-19 rose to 4,710 as of midday Wednesday, up 57 from Tuesday’s data, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
Brookings County cases remain at 15 positive tests, and 14 of those people have recovered. There have been 618 negative tests in Brookings County as of Wednesday, the state reported.
Of the 4,710 statewide cases, 1,037 are classified as active (down by 38 from Tuesday). So far, 3,619 people have recovered (91 new), 391 people have been hospitalized at some point (13 new), 101 people are currently hospitalized (down by five), and 54 people have died.
The new deaths, two women and two men, are being reported in Brown, Minnehaha (2) and Todd counties. The age ranges of the deceased are 30-39 years old, 50-59 years old, and two from 60-69 years old.
There have been 33,296 total negative tests (911 new) in South Dakota. Of those, laboratories have reported 1,146 negative tests to the SDDOH that are not assigned to specific counties.
The county with the most positive tests in South Dakota is Minnehaha, with 3,300 as of midday Wednesday, up by 11 since Tuesday. Increases in positive cases Wednesday also include, but are not limited to, 13 in Beadle County, three in Lincoln, three in Oglala Lakota, 10 in Pennington and four in Roberts.
The actual number of infections in the state is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.
The figures released by the state Department of Health do not include individuals who are asymptomatic or have symptoms of the coronavirus but are not being tested.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
Learn more at www.covid.sd.gov.
